Page 72 of One Hellish Wedlock
His gaze darkened. “Where do you stand in my life, Aanya?” he asked. “Do you even know where you stand inyourown life? Who are you, Aanya? Just an overpampered child of a wealthy father? Or a wife-for-hire to a rich businessman? What are you really?”
His words pierced her heart.
“You don’t know, do you?” he continued. “So, here’s some free advice:don’t go around putting people in their place when you haven’t even found your own. Because if you try, you’ll lose whatever respect you’ve got left.”
Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Only when he saw them did Reyansh finally fall silent. But the damage was done.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Reyansh?” Radhika’s voice called.
Without a word, Aanya bolted into the bathroom and locked herself inside. She couldn’t face anyone, not now.
Reyansh clenched his fists. He hadn’t meant to go so far, but she had pushed him. He opened the door for his sister.
“Is Aanya alright?” Radhika asked, concerned.
“Yeah… she’s resting,” he lied quickly. “She’s just tired.”
He stepped out with her, locking the door behind them.
“Did she eat?” Radhika asked.
“I’ll have the chefs send something in,” he assured her.
Radhika agreed and walked off, unaware of the firestorm that had just blown through the room.
Inside the bathroom, Aanya sat curled in the empty tub, sobbing quietly. She hadn’t meant for it to spiral like this. She was just trying to have a little fun… to ruffle him, tease him. Instead, he’d shown her an ugly and painfully honest mirror.
He wasn’t wrong.
She had no direction. No purpose. Just a string of wasted years behind her, rebelling against a father who remarried and letting her grief justify every mistake since. Partying, drinking, spending without limits, that was all she’d ever done. Even this marriage, this deal, was about money. A transaction.
She had nothing. Shewasnothing.
And now, she knew it.
CHAPTER 13
Chopra Mansion
The party had finally come to an end. As Anand prepared to leave, he asked Reyansh about Aanya.
“Where’s Aanya? Can we meet her before we go?” he inquired.
Reyansh gave a polite smile. “She’s tired and resting in her room. Said she had a terrible headache from the loud music.”
“Tired?” Kyle cut in sceptically. “She loves parties, Reyansh. She never gets bored of them.”
Reyansh hesitated for a beat but recovered smoothly. “Yes, but the music tonight really got to her. She’s asleep now. I’ll let her know you both left.”
Kyle’s suspicions flared again, but she chose not to argue further. Instead, they discussed the upcoming meeting for their new joint venture. Once the details were finalized, Anand and Kyle made their exit. Gradually, the other guests began to leave as well.
“Thank you, Reyansh. It was a wonderful party,” Radhika praised warmly.
“I had a great time too,” Rishi added with a chuckle. “But we missed Aanya. Hope her headache’s better now.”
“Please make sure she’s alright,” Radhika insisted. “And check whether she ate or went to bed without dinner.”
“I will, Di,” Reyansh replied with a forced smile. Guilt crept in as his own words echoed in his mind. He’d gone too far. Hisanger, once again, had overshadowed his better judgment. He wanted to see growth in her, some maturity. But perhaps he expected it too harshly, too soon.
